Israel’s UNRWA ban stirs Palestinian fears

Israel’s banning of the UN Palestinian Relief Agency UNRWA from operating in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories has alarmed Palestinians and many of Israel’s Western allies, writes Monjed Jadou in Ramallah

Since the Israeli parliament the Knesset passed a law prohibiting the operations of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA in October, tensions have escalated among Palestinians according to Ahram Egyptian Newspaper.

The legislation, compounded by the Israeli government’s decision to sever ties with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and formally notify the UN of this via the Foreign Ministry, has ignited Palestinian, Arab, and international condemnation.

However, the response so far has brought no concrete repercussions for Israel, leaving Palestinian refugees across the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem anxious about their future and that of their children.

For many Palestinian refugees, the legislation is not unexpected. Having long followed Israel’s efforts to dismantle UNRWA, they view the agency as a living witness to the Nakba, their historic displacement in 1948.

This latest move, many believe, is part of Israel’s longstanding strategy to eliminate the Palestinian right of return, aiming to replace it with a new reality shaped by violence, forced displacement, and restrictive laws.

Under the new Israeli law, “UNRWA’s activities in East Jerusalem are to be halted and its responsibilities transferred to the Israeli authorities.” The legislation also nullifies a 1967 agreement allowing UNRWA operations in Israel, effectively barring the agency from operating within Israeli and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and prohibiting any contact between Israeli officials and UNRWA personnel.

Palestinian refugees in the camps, who depend on UNRWA for education and healthcare, are now questioning what their future holds. If Israel’s plan to dismantle UNRWA succeeds, it will affect not only the political dimension of the right of return but also the basic services sustaining refugees.

Economic, social, and political crises may erupt in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza camps if the Israeli law takes effect in three months. In the Aida Refugee Camp near Bethlehem in the southern West Bank, 72-year-old Halima Al-Arraj relies on the UNRWA clinic for her diabetes and blood pressure medications. She worries about what will happen if UNRWA services cease, wondering how she and others will cope under the new Israeli law.

Halima fears not only for herself but also for her children and grandchildren, who rely on UNRWA for healthcare and education. “What kind of cruel world is this,” she asks.

In the northern West Bank’s Balata Camp, the largest Palestinian refugee camp, residents similarly depend on UNRWA for essential services like healthcare, education, and food assistance, particularly for the most vulnerable.

Imad Al-Tirawi, head of the Balata Popular Committee, explained that the camp has a large clinic and four schools serving thousands of students. UNRWA provides full funding for these institutions, which are essential to the camp’s survival.

The four schools in Balata educate thousands of students, while the clinic provides healthcare for chronic conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, and offers referrals for heart patients. Additionally, UNRWA supplies food aid for over 500 impoverished families.

If this new law is implemented, Al-Tirawi warns, the situation could deteriorate to the point of explosion.

Ahmad Thuqan, a member of the executive committee of the Palestinian Refugee Camps Popular Committees, noted in a press briefing that recent Israeli policies aim to dismantle UNRWA as a protector of refugees’ rights, particularly the right of return.

“The refugee issue is the crux of the conflict. Without a just solution for the refugees, the Palestinians will reject any proposed peace,” Thuqan said.

He explained that Israel faces two options: accept the return of the Palestinian refugees—a path it deems existentially threatening—or attempt to erase this right through restrictive laws. The passage of the new law by right-wing members of the Knesset appears to be a direct response to the recent UN General Assembly vote renewing UNRWA’s mandate for three more years.

In a statement, Ahmad Abu Holi, head of the PLO’s Refugee Affairs Department, condemned Israel’s notification to the UN that it will nullify the 1967 Comay-McLemore Agreement allowing UNRWA to operate in Israel.

He highlighted that Israel is “racing against time” to dismantle UNRWA, remove refugee status, and sideline UN General Assembly Resolution 194, which guarantees the refugees the right to return to their homes. “This law seeks to eliminate the refugee question entirely,” Abu Holi emphasised.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini issued a statement urging an end to the focus on dismantling UNRWA and instead calling for efforts to end the conflict in Gaza. “Dismantling UNRWA without a viable alternative would rob Palestinian children of their education,” Lazzarini warned.

He added that the loss of educational opportunities could push young people towards despair, poverty, and susceptibility to exploitation, further destabilising the region. He criticised the proposed ban on UNRWA, emphasising that addressing humanitarian needs, not eliminating them, should be the priority.

In a message on X, he asked “why are the children’s needs and their right to education absent from discussions about banning or replacing UNRWA?”

As Israel’s law prepares to take effect early next year, tensions are mounting within Palestinian refugee camps that rely on UNRWA for essential services. With time running out, international stakeholders face increasing pressure to address the situation and support the continued work of UNRWA to prevent further escalation.

Saeed Al-Azza, head of the Popular Services Committee in the Aida Refugee Camp, has warned that Israel’s move to ban UNRWA could result in “catastrophic consequences for everyone involved.”

Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly, Al-Azza emphasised that dismantling UNRWA represents yet another step in Israel’s ongoing efforts to undermine Palestinian rights, particularly the right of return.

“Israel’s actions aim to erase Palestinians’ long-promised right to return to the villages within historical Palestine, now part of Israel, from which they and their ancestors were forcibly removed in 1948 when the Jewish state was established,” Al-Azza stated.

He added that UNRWA’s role has been integral to Palestinians for nearly as long as Israel’s existence, recalling that the violence surrounding Israel’s founding displaced close to one million Palestinians from what was then British-mandated Palestine.

Known as the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” this displacement left a significant refugee population that persists to this day.

The UN General Assembly, which sanctioned the establishment of Israel, initially decreed that all displaced Palestinians should be allowed to return “at the earliest practicable date”. UNRWA was established a year later to provide essential services and prevent widespread hunger and suffering among Palestinians.

“To this day, UNRWA stands as a living testament to the refugees’ plight and their rights, which Israel seeks to erase by dismantling the Agency,” Al-Azza concluded.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 7 November, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly